Kelsey Roberts - Undying Laughter

The flight from Miami to Charleston went smoothly, except for Destiny’s lingering anxiety over the gifts she’d received the previous evening.

“Hopefully, he’ll stay in Miami,” she said to Gina as they sat in the back seat of a cab.

Gina frowned. “Don’t bet on it. He’s managed to make all your club dates for the past six months.”

A shiver racked her small frame, but she said nothing. Gina, her personal assistant, had already suggested that she cancel this last engagement just to be on the safe side.

“Maybe he’s tired of hearing the same material over and over,” she said, forcing some lightness into her tone. “Maybe that detective David hired will figure out who he is.”

Destiny felt the corners of her mouth turn down. The detective had missed their last meeting, so she had little faith that the rumpled detective had come up with anything substantial.

“Forget my fervent fan,” Destiny told her friend. “Let’s focus on something more upbeat, like the possibility of the network picking up my pilot.”

Gina sighed and leaned her head against the back of the seat. “I could get used to L.A.,” she said wistfully. Her hand automatically moved to her right leg, rubbing the carefully hidden scar Destiny knew ran the full length of her thigh. “The weather out there will do my leg some good. Might even take up roller blading.”

Destiny laughed. “I think your doctor would nix that idea.”

She watched as Gina’s expression grew sad. “From graceful model to limping lump, all in one night.”

Destiny said nothing. There was nothing to say. Nothing she hadn’t said time and time again during the four years since the accident.

“That’s Fort Sumpter,” the driver announced as they wove their way over the uneven streets of Charleston.

“Maybe we’ll take a day and sightsee,” Destiny suggested.

“You never sightsee,” Gina countered. “You’re always too busy working on perfecting your routine.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Wrong.”

“Right,” Gina huffed. “And I like David.”

Rolling her eyes, Destiny wasn’t in the right frame of mind to rehash the long-standing rivalry between the duo. David and Gina were her friends as well as her employees. Besides which, Gina, she had learned, didn’t like too many people. She was Destiny’s exact opposite. And a definite thorn in David’s side. Sometimes she had the distinct impression that Gina went out of her way to make David’s job harder. This trip was a perfect example. David had arranged for them to stay in one of the swankiest hotels in downtown Charleston. Gina had made arrangements for them to rent two of the villa units at the beach outside the city. Of course, it left Destiny in the uncomfortable position of choosing between the two. It was a no-win situation, and she was currently on David’s list because she’d chosen the beach over the city.

“Wait!” she called out suddenly.

The cabby brought the car to a screeching halt.

“What?” the driver and Gina said in unison.

“There’s The Rose Tattoo,” she said, pointing to the historic building with the wooden sign in front. “Let’s stop in.”

“What about our luggage?” the ever-practical Gina noted.

“You go on to the beach, then come back,” Destiny instructed as she opened her door. “Take as long as you need. I’d love to get a feel for the place.”

“You can do that tomorrow.” Gina was still grumbling when Destiny closed the door and walked across the black-and-white-checkered tiles leading up to the front door.

Her hand closed on the brass handle and she gave a tug. Nothing. She tugged again as her eyes found the hours listed on a rectangular sign in the window.

“Great,” she grumbled, checking her watch, then squinting against the early-morning sunlight. Destiny was about to turn back toward the street in search of a cab when a deep, sexy voice stopped her dead.

“It’s you,” he said as he pulled open the door.

She had to concentrate hard to keep her mouth from dropping open in an appreciative response to this gorgeous man. “Must be sunstroke,” she said under her breath before flashing him her brightest smile.

His stomach knotted as if an elephant had kicked him— hard. She was even more beautiful than the photograph hanging above the bar. On more than one occasion, he had cynically remarked that the picture had to have been retouched. It wasn’t possible for any living creature to be that beautiful, that perfect. He was wrong.

“Destiny Talbott,” she said as she offered him her dainty hand.

Her skin was warm and soft, a perfect complement to the deep tan that naturally heightened the unusual shade of her eyes. And the way the sun shimmered off those long tresses of pale blond hair—he swallowed as he reluctantly dropped her hand.

“Do you have a name?” she asked, a teasing look in her eyes.

The fraction of a second it took him to recall his own name seemed to amuse her all the more.

“Wesley Porter,” he mumbled, feeling his cheeks warm slightly as he ushered her inside the empty restaurant.

His palms were actually moist by the time they reached the bar, where his books were stacked high next to a mug of long-forgotten coffee.

“We weren’t expecting you until this afternoon,” he said.

Sliding onto one of the bar stools, Wesley battled to keep his eyes off the incredibly shapely legs peeking out from beneath her skirt.

“Spur-of-the-moment,” she explained. “When I saw the place, I just couldn’t resist taking a sneak peek.”

He felt one of his brows arch high on his forehead. “Do you always act on your impulses?”

She smiled again. “Is that a question? Or a really bad come-on line?”

“Sorry,” he mumbled, studying the backs of his hands. “I guess it’s all this scholarly pursuit. I tend to ask questions a lot.”

“A bar-owning student?” Destiny asked after glancing at his textbooks.

“My mother owns the place. I’m just helping out while I study for my boards.”

“Rose,” she said, nodding. “David’s mentioned her.”

“David?”

“My manager,” she said as she boldly slid off the stool, went behind the bar and poured herself a cup of coffee.

Wes wasn’t sure what bothered him more, the fact that she seemed so at home in a strange environment, or that he’d been so enthralled with her legs that he hadn’t even thought to offer her the most basic of hospitalities.

“This is great,” she said, hugging the mug in both hands. “I should have been entitled to a refund from the airlines for that stuff they foisted off on Gina and me this morning.”

“Gina?”

“My personal assistant,” she said as she came back and took the seat next to his. He smelled the faint scent of her perfume, and the words “utterly feminine” floated through his thoughts as he watched her felinelike movements. No wonder she was a popular performer, he thought. As far as he was concerned, she didn’t have to tell the first joke. He’d probably pay good money just to watch her walk down the street.

“So,” she began with a wicked light in her violet eyes, “do you just ask questions, or do you occasionally talk all on your own?”

“Depends,” he returned, feeling the corners of his mouth respond to her ever-present smile. “I guess I’ve had my nose in these books for so long that I’m sort of out of practice.”

“You?” she scoffed.

His head fell slightly to one side and he regarded her for a protracted second. “Meaning?”

“Back up,” Destiny answered. “What exactly are you studying for?”

“Psychiatric boards.”